Sabrina Carpenter's biggest songs and the meanings behind them

Pop princess Sabrina Carpenter loves to keep us on our toes with her cleverly crafted song lyrics and accompanying tongue-in-cheek music videos. The singer, who's become a household name after releasing hit songs such as 'Espresso' and 'Please Please Please', enjoys shocking fans with her tracks.

But as well as being fun and fiercely catchy, Sabrina's songs are usually well thought out —with some telling more of a story than you might realise. We take a deep dive into what they all mean...

'Espresso'

This girl serves innuendos like coffee, so it's no surprise her hit single 'Espresso' has more than a few stirred in. The song — which spent seven weeks at Number 1 — likens a man's addiction to a woman to that of caffeine.

The lyrics read: 'Now he's thinkin' 'bout me every night, oh / Is it that sweet? I guess so / Say you can't sleep, baby, I know / That's that me espresso.'

Sabrina has previously revealed she's got a caffeine addiction of her own, saying in an interview with Apple Music that the song takes her "full circle".

Arguably one of her best releases, Espresso is a seriously catchy tune which celebrates confident women and their ability to keep a man up all night thinking about her.

As for the sentence about the Nintendo...you're going to have to use your imagination!

🚨 WARNING! Explicit content! 🚨

'Please Please Please'

In 'Please Please Please' we see a more vulnerable side to Sabrina. With real-life boyfriend (and Saltburn actor) Barry Keoghan starring in the music video, it's easy to believe the songwriter when she sings: 'Please please please don't bring me to tears when I just did my makeup so nice / Heartbreak is one thing. My ego's another / I beg you don't embarrass me.'

The track, which is a heartfelt plea to be treated respectfully, even mentions her current beau's profession, leaving us to believe this could have only been written with him in mind:

'I heard that you're an actor, so act like a stand up guy / Whatever devil's inside you, don't let him out tonight.'

Either way, the lyrics suggest even the rich and famous feel emotionally exposed when falling for someone. We salute you!

🚨 WARNING! Explicit content! 🚨

'Taste'

It's rumoured Sabrina's newest single 'Taste' was inspired by Sabrina's alleged love triangle with singers Shawn Mendes and Camilla Cabello. It's not the first song linked to this theory — with enthusiasts finding relevant lyrics in 'Sharpest Tool', 'Coincidence' and 'Dumb & Poetic' too.

In early 2023, fans became increasingly convinced Sabrina was dating the 'Stitches' singer, following a number of public appearances together. And it wasn't long after his split with Camilla Cabello either. Awks.

'Taste' made headlines for its Death Becomes Her-esque video — in which Sabrina fights (claws and all) with a love rival...Played by none other than the queen of mean, Jenna Ortega.

Lyrics include: 'I heard you're back together, and if that's true / You'll just have to taste me when he's kissin' you / If you want forever, and I bet you do / Just know you'll taste me too.'

The Number 1 hit single comes not long after Shawn and Camilla allegedly rekindled their relationship. Yikes!

🚨 WARNING! Explicit content! 🚨

'Feather'

The perfect break up song! 'Feather' is an ode to girls everywhere ditching a red flag relationship — all wrapped up in a catchy pop tune.

It's playful lyrics include: 'Oh, it's like that, I'm your dream come true / When it's on a platter for you / Then you pulled back when I try to make plans / More than two hours in advance.'

Sounds familiar right?!

This song — which was Sabrina's first to hit the top 40 — celebrates the freedom and relief which comes after stepping away from an unhealthy coupling.

The video is packed with all the gore and drama we've come to expect from the pop singer — but caused a lot of controversy after being filmed in a church!

🚨 WARNING! Explicit content! 🚨

'Nonsense'

When writing 'Nonsense' Sabrina was actually trying to break a spell of writer's block. She'd been working on a sad, slow song which she told us she just wasn't in the right headspace for:

"It was kind of redirection by fate. I kinda used that as a field to just be like...I just need to stop thinking about it, I need to just write nonsense, basically. And that was the lightbulb."

The singer and actress joined us on For The Record, where she told us how she came up with the idea of the song:

Sabrina said there's a lot of humour infused in the song, which is very similar to how she feels when she's crushing on somebody for the first time.

The lyrics include: 'Think I only want one number in my phone / I might change your contact to "don't leave me alone" / You said you like my eyes and you like to make 'em roll / Treat me like a queen, now you got me feelin' thrown, oh.'

'Because I Liked a Boy'

One of Sabrina's earlier songs, 'Because I Liked a Boy' is rumoured to be about her alleged relationship with actor and singer, Joshua Bassett. Before the song hit the charts in 2022, the pair had faced backlash from the public, after fans believed Josh had jumped from a relationship with singer Olivia Rodrigo to Sabrina.

Olivia's song 'Driver's Licence' had provoked further response, with lyrics such as: 'And you're probably with that blonde girl / Who always made me doubt / She's so much older than me / She's everything I'm insecure about.'

Fans believe Sabrina hit back with 'Because I Liked a Boy', with lyrics including: 'I'm a hot topic on your tongue / I'm a rebound gettin' 'round, stealin' from the young / Tell me who I am, guess I don't have a choice / All because I liked a boy.'

It's an emotional track which touches on the innocence behind falling in love with the wrong person.

🚨 WARNING! Explicit content! 🚨

'Skin'

Sabrina says her 2021 track 'Skin' is all about learning to not give people so much power over her feelings.

In a post on Instagram, the star said: 'i was at a tipping point in my life for countless reasons. so i was inspired to do what i usually do to cope, write something that i wish i could have told myself in the past. people can only get to you if you give them the power to. and a lot of people were trying to get to me.' (sic)

The lyrics, which fans once again believed was connected to the Olivia Rodrigo/Joshua Bassett triangle, include: 'Maybe you didn't mean it / Maybe blonde was the only rhyme' and 'You been telling your side / So I'll be telling mine.'

But in the post on Insta, Sabrina revealed: 'the song isn’t calling out one single person. some lines address a specific situation, while other lines address plenty of other experiences I’ve had this past year.' (sic)

'Good Graces'

Good Graces is the third song on Sabrina's newest album 'Short n' Sweet' and was released in August 2024. The dance track follows a similar theme to many of the singer's hits, symbolising a strong woman who won't put up with disrespect. We're here for it.

The lyrics include: 'When I love you, I'm sweet like an angel / Drawin' hearts 'round our names / And dreamin' of writing vows, rockin' cradles / Don't mistake my nice for naive / I don't waste a second, I know lots of guys / You do somethin' suspect, this cute ass bye-bye.'

🚨 WARNING! Explicit content! 🚨

'Bed Chem'

It's not hard to decipher the meaning behind one of Sabrina's latest tracks 'Bed Chem'. Short for 'bedroom chemistry', the track displays the singer's seriously sexy side, giving lyrics like: 'And I bet we'd both arrive at the same time / And I bet the thermostat's set at six-nine / And I bet it's even better than in my head.'

Talking about the song's title in an interview with Paper Magazine, Sabrina said: "My friend Paloma and I coined the term. I went to the studio that day and was like ‘I have this title and idea and we have to make it sexy and a little bit unserious at the same time' because it is such a ridiculous concept."

Unsurprisingly, Irish boyfriend Barry Keoghan likes it a lot! Posting on Insta: 'BED CHEM my fave just sayin m’darlin…'

Could this lyric be about him...? 'Who's the cute boy with the white jacket and the thick accent?'

He wore a white bomber to the Givenchy Spring/Summer '24 show in September 2023 — where they reportedly met for the first time. Just sayin'!

🚨 WARNING! Explicit content! 🚨

Sabrina Carpenter answers the internet

Now check out some of the biggest album releases of 2024...

How to listen to Hits Radio:

Turn it up with Hits Radio! Home of Fleur East, Sam Thompson and Gemma Atkinson playing the biggest hits and the biggest throwbacks, alongside the biggest laughs and life-changing competitions. Tune in on FM, DAB, online, ask your Smart Speaker to 'Play Hits Radio' and download the Rayo app.

Now read:

Tom Walker reveals he's going head-to-head with major pop star in the album charts

Perrie shares a catchy clip from her upcoming third solo single

Jade drops surprise track and visualiser for 'Midnight Cowboy' as a gift to fans

• song lyrics